[postlink]http://onlinemoviesyoutube.blogspot.com/2011/10/egma-movies.html[/postlink]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoEMJbl_rWwendofvid
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ENIGMA 1 MCMXC a.D.
Enigma’s debut album seems to center around the personal conflict of sexuality vs. religion, and heightens to an even greater, more extensive theme of personal beliefs. The music itself is filled with Gregorian chants that symbolize the religious aspects of this theme, and Sandra Cretu’s breathy French vocals hint at the erotic overtones of the theme. Throughout the album, similar instruments and voices are encountered, such as flowing synthesizer, similar dance rhythms, Gregorian monastic chant, breathy French lyrics, beautiful piano solos, shakuhaji flutes, and ethnic percussion. This album went platinum in 25 countries and stayed on the charts for over five years after its original release of December 10, 1990.
This groundbreaking debut album from Enigma caused an international sensation and sold more than 15 million copies. This album stayed on the Billboard album chart for over 5 years. – Higher Octave Music catalog #61482
An eyes-closed journey on the wings of music. The atmospherics vary in mood, from Gregorian chant to flowing synthesizer to sparkling percussion. This album defined a genre. – Higher Octave Music vol. 14
1. The Voice of Enigma
This soft opening track begins with an echoed horn, which will become one of the trademark instruments. Another trademark Enigma instrument present in this track is the “falling-star” effect. This is not a full song, but rather an opening to the album, in which Louisa Stanley’s soft voice instructs the listener to relax and prepare for a journey into a different world.
2. Principles of Lust
This three-part track centers around the album’s theme of sex vs. religion and general personal beliefs. Throughout the piece are drumbeats with a defined groove, sexy whispers, and Gregorian chants.
a. Sadeness
The title of this song is actually a wordplay based on the two words “Sade” and “sadness,” the “Sade” part coming from the name of the Marquis de Sade. Sade was a 17th-century French poet who believed that sex should involve some sort of pain in order for it to be pleasurable. Rumor has it that he was somewhat religious, so the middle portion of this song is asking Sade what he stands for–if he was so religious, then why did he practice acts of violence on others? Sadeness is, on a greater scale, about personal beliefs and “practicing what you preach.”
What captures most peoples’ attention on this song is the mix of traditional Gregorian chant with modern dance rhythms. This song also features a long, passionate solo on a shakuhaji flute, windchimes, bells, Sandra Cretu’s breathy French whispers, and a dark middle portion with a male voice and an electric bass guitar. After the dark middle portion, the flute plays a similar theme, and then everything seems to come together–Sandra whispers over the beat as the bells are playing, and she is echoed by Gregorian chants, which are in turn echoed by the flute. The song ends abrubtly and fades into strange, jazzy percussion.
b. Find Love
This track begins with the jazz percussion, along with haunting ambient themes and an odd sound effect that can only be described as sounding like the whinny of a horse. Drippy, aquatic sounds enter, along with a piano that plays a repeated melody, a bassline, and some ethnic drums. The main beat kicks in along with some very jazzy-sounding trumpets, and then Sandra speaks about the “principles of lust.” She describes how to best experience lust firsthand.
The middle segment of Find Love features what might be the most haunting chant ever used by Enigma. It sounds like a cross between a boy-soprano solo and a Gregorian chant. Sandra repeats the chorus again, the trumpets re-enter, and the song fades out with dripping sounds, falling-stars, and aquatic bubbling.
c. Sadeness (Reprise)
Gregorian chants being played in reverse lead into the reintroduction of the Sadeness beat. A piano gently plays a theme very similar to the original shakuhaji flute solo, and then the real flute kicks in playing the actual solo. The song fades with Sandra’s vocals, echoed by the flute and Gregorian chants.
3. Callas Went Away
This melancholic piece is a tribute to Maria Callas, the famous opera singer. Known for her fiery temper, Callas had a beautiful voice, and samples of her singing can be heard on this song. This song features lots of wonderful ambience such as an echoed child’s cry, two men speaking in French in the background, chirping birds and crickets, a running stream, and a nice horses-on-cobblestone effect. Overall the song has a very natural, out-in-nature feel. Also prevalent here are warm, flowing strings, ethnic percussion, and Sandra’s whispers.
4. Mea Culpa
Latin for “I’m culpable” or “It’s my fault,” this powerful song seems to come from a woman’s point of view, lusting after the man she desires so much. Many people think that she is lusting after a religious figure, such as a priest or even the “Enigma monk.”
The song begins with rain and tolling church bells. Marching battle snare drums (which might represent the battle between lust and love, sex and religion, and personal beliefs vs. accepted beliefs) lead into a powerful drumbeat. Sandra whispers phrases in French overtop of the drums and swirling synth, and she is echoed in places by loud, heavy Gregorian chanting. There is a killer guitar solo that flows perfectly with the intense, driving beat, and the shakuhaji flute is featured in several places throughout the song. After the guitar solo, the song pauses for Sandra to speak, and then kicks back in full-force. The beat drops out for the snare drums to re-enter, and they fade into the distance with the rain and tolling bells.
5. The Voice & The Snake
This song is actually Seven Bowls by the 1960′s group Aphrodite’s Child. Cretu added some extra synthesizer to it and crossfaded it. It basically talks about the end of the world based on the Book of Revelation. The song is very short, has no beat, and is basically just a segue from Mea Culpa into Knocking on Forbidden Doors.
6. Knocking on Forbidden Doors
This track combines all elements from the album into one haunting, beautiful song. It starts off with an electronic synth sound that bounces around the stereofield, and then some minor-key ambience fades in. The wavering Enigma horn plays, sounding like whalesong or a sonar noise. The beat kicks in, the Enigma shakuhaji flute plays, and then the horn comes back in, echoed by a guitar. Gregorian chants float in, and the beat drops out for the middle part. Odd synth sounds play back and forth, including one that sounds like steam rising. The horns, flutes, and guitars kick in along with the beat, and the song fades.
There is a female vocalization–either Sandra or Louisa–but it isn’t clear what is being said. It sounds like “Mater.” This is a likely choice because the Gregorian chant used in the song is Salve Regina, Mater Misericors. The theme to this song is probably about experiencing lust despite religious affiliation.
7. Back to the Rivers of Belief
As with Principles of Lust, this song is in three parts. It also uses the same beat from Sadeness in two of the three parts.
a. Way to Eternity
The key element of this song is the five-note melody–it’s the same one from the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, which is Michael Cretu’s favorite movie. Gregorian chants (men and women singing together this time) and metronomic ticking fill this short piece as well. The Gregorian chants are basically directed to God, asking Him for eternal life.
b. Hallelujah
The Sadeness beat re-enters for this instrumental piece, which is filled with strange basslines, odd ambience, and clicking bell-like instruments. There is a strange chant that appears occasionally (Gregorian, but it sounds Arabic), and some voice samples from The Voice of Enigma are reprised here.
c. The Rivers of Belief
Everything swirls up into this passionate song. This is a great closer, as it really sums up the whole theme of finding inner peace and a balance between spiritual beliefs and personal beliefs. Michael Cretu actually sings this song. It also features a very beautiful solo by the shakuhaji flute and the falling-star effect. The song fades into the same ambient horns that opened the disc, and everything fades out into silence.
ENIGMA 2 The CROSS of Changes
Enigma’s second disc has two main themes, one of how man has affected the earth, and the other of how a higher power is always watching over us. The instrumentation is much more powerful on this album, and Cretu tries to use human voices as instruments. Mongolian samples prevail, but there are also Taiwanese aboriginal chants, Native American chants, and children’s cries.
Sold over 2 million copies in the U.S. and features the title track hit single. (sic) Using a wide range of exotic textures and instrumentation, Cross of Changes evolves the Enigma mystique. – Higher Octave Music catalog #61482
Based on the spiritual teachings of Rumi, who said the divine is foudn only in the individual heart. Middle Eastern motifs prevail. – Higher Octave Music vol. 14
1. Second Chapter
Continuing the Enigma tradition of having a brief opening track and then diving into the music, this piece is no exception. It has an oceanic feel to it, and would be a good background piece for a documentary on sea exploration. The Enigma horns are back, and Sandra speaks a few lines about the album’s theme.
2. The Eyes of Truth
“The Eyes of Truth” is Cretu’s term for a higher power. This is a stunning and powerful opening track that features a driving beat, Indian tabla drums, a pungi (a reedy-sounding instrument), the shakuhaji flute, a massive church choir, and haunting Mongolian voices and chants that are used as instruments. The bridge of the song has samples of astronauts in space, a U2 sample, and Sandra’s French whispers.
3. Return to Innocence
This song and Sadeness are Enigma’s two biggest hits ever.
Beginning this song is a Taiwanese aboriginal chant. It sounds like a Native American indian chant but it isn’t. After the chant runs through, a powerful drum beat kicks in, slow and defined. Angel sings low over the drums, and the song seems to soar when the chant comes in. There is some very nice swirling celestial ambience, sampled from Vangelis, that plays throughout the piece.
Overall this is an extremely uplifting and upbeat song about following what you believe in, and another theme is starting at the end of something and going back to the beginning, looking at every memorable moment in between.
4. I Love You … I’ll Kill You
Not as negative as it sounds, this song revolves around a theme of jealousy. A driving beat, tabla drums, and Sandra’s breathy vocals all add to the intensity of the song, and a racing guitar solo in the middle of the song heightens the musical experience. Cretu used a Led Zeppelin vocal sample in one version of the song, and then the later pressings of the disc (in Europe, at least) has Cretu himself singing something that sounds like “you’ll be fine.”
5. Silent Warrior
This song is about Michael Cretu’s position on the “murderous insanity of the colonists as they settled in America,” and how they mercilessly killed off many of the Native Americans.
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